5 Visitor Comments

1. Karen Hunter August 25, 2012

   I was searching on line for some information since yesterday night and I ultimately found what i was looking for! This is a fantastic web site by the way.

   Chris Gilman Medford, Or

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2. Libby February 20, 2011

   As far as I know, the military has been “studying” female harassment and rape for decades, it was a problem in the late 70s when I served. Looks like they enjoy reading real life pornography as the problem has escalated, not decreased. When I served, rape was judged on a point system set up by Rumsfeld and his good ole boy buddies, as I was told. If you were raped by one GI, you were awarded one point. If you were raped by 8 GIs, you were awarded 8 points. If the rape was witnessed by 3 GIs, you were awarded 3 points. The more points awarded, the less likely a rape was committed, according to the guidelines that were set up for rape.

   Recruiters should not be allowed near high school females that are eligible for enlistment as no other occupation on this planet is as dangerous for females as the military has shown to be. The mass cowardliness of the military, at all levels, to deal with the problem of females in the military, demonstrates the utter disdain and contempt held for the female gender. Females entering into the military are viewed as government issue concubines.

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3. Former CO February 17, 2011

   After listening to SWAN reps and plaintiffs on the news, I came to this site to see what solutions it suggested. I read the whole “Policy” section expecting to see what specific “systematic” changes DOD needs to undergo to get this problem under control. I did not find anything tangible. As a former commanding officer at an entry level training school house, I am well aware of the sensitivity of the issue. Prevention, reporting procedures, and enforcement are obviously all pillars of a successful program. At our commnad, we conducted constant formal and informal training; the leadership mentored all their Marines (students and staff) about treating eachother with dignity and respect; and NCIS was immediately called (as per requirements) in all cases of alleged sexual assault. Investigations did indeed seem to take a long time despite continual pressure by the command for resolution. But the latter I think was a matter of “wheels of justice grind slowly.” What was frustrating was that it was taken out of the commands hands, so speeding up the investigations was like pushing rope.

   So….here are my questions: What would you have us do about it? What SPECIFICALLY needs to be changed? I’m getting a bit tired of hearing that the whole system is flawed, the leadership doesn’t care or covers everything up, male service members are all misogynistic “good ol’ boys,” and all the rest. Asserting that DoD is “not doing enough”….is not enough. If the entire Uniform Code of Military Justice needs to be turned on its head, how specifically does SWAN suggest that happen? It would be helpful for you to take vignettes (actual or made up) and walk us through specifically what needs to change in the reporting/enforcement procedures. I keep hearing that “victims are not being protected.” What specifically does that mean to SWAN? What should that mean to a military unit’s commanding officer? How would you suggest a victim be “protected” without singling out/isolating/segregating her? Do you take her out of the barracks? Do you roll her to another class? Do you transfer her? Or should you also discipline her for breaking regulations like underage drinking, being in the barracks room of someone of the opposite sex, and/or not having a Liberty Buddy? And by the way, how do you suggest false accusations be handled? How can you blame Robert Gates for sexual assaults NOT being reported?? How is the chain of command supposed to take action on something that is not reported? Honestly, being blamed for THAT is getting old too. It is frustrating when I hear plaintifs on this suit saying that they didn’t report being raped until weeks/months/years after the fact. How do you investigate that? How do you work with that legally?? Even NJP takes SOME evidence.

   The whole class action suit is a good headliner, and it is certainly calling attention to the issue…at the expense of other pressing issues, but nevertheless…. The problem is, if the insensitive, ignorant and systematically sexist men that make up military leadership haven’t been able to figure out the the problem thus far, how do you expect satisfactory results now? What are we missing? How do we balance the sentiment of, “treat everyone the SAME regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, etc,.” and the implication that sexual assault cases need to be handled differently than every other violation of the UCMJ? In other words, stop bringing us problems and start bringing us solutions. I’m sure as a prior-Marine, Ms Bhagwati has heard something like that before.

   Thanks for bringing attention to an important issue. I just think SWAN would be much more helpful by offering specific technical, legal, and procedural recommendations—recommendations that are fair, just, and don’t trample the rights of others—that UNIT commanders and NCIS investigators could potentially utilize to prevent, punish, and protect in the future.

   Semper Fi,
   LtCol USMC

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   • Dmitriy T. March 29, 2011

     Mr . Semper Fi
     The solution for you and people like you who says , “I don’t know how to, tell me and I will try”… is just one, use the common sense, use the peoples’ of the country you live at and serve for judgment and law.
     You and people like you who hides their inability behind the pentagon “regulations and instructions ” are not fit to server in the military, where first rule must be an ownesty and dignity of your own and your fellow comrade, no matter what she or he is.
     If the entire code of the military justice must be overhauled , then do it, stand up and say it if you are considering yourself an officer of the United States Armed Forces.

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4. Todd B. February 16, 2011

   Hey. I was beat up and sodomized while in the Navy in 1971, at NTC san diego. I was hitchhiking off the base at quitting time, which was a common practice at the time, and got a ride from a guy coming off the base, who jumped me, and had an attack dog. So, can I get a hundred bucks? I’ll take it. It’s more than I ever expected to get. The perp probably went on to greater things, he was scary. I mentioned this episode in my video to the VFP, posted on my website.

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